Dr. Melemaikalani “Mele” Moniz is a Kanaka ʻŌiwi born and raised under the malu of Ko’olaupoko on the windward side of O‘ahu, with family lines that come from Moku o Keawe, Nā Hono A‘o Pi‘ilani, and Moloka‘i nui a Hina. She earned a BA in English from Marist College, a JD from the Catholic University, an LLM in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from the University of Oregon, and an SJD in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy from the University of Arizona. During her JD program, Mele assisted the Honorable Edward H. Kubo, Jr. in the First Circuit Court of Hawai‘i, clerked with the Family Law Unit of the Legal Aid Society, and completed an externship at the Hawai‘i Immigrant Justice Center. She also served as a First Amendment Fellow at the Freedom Forum (formerly the First Amendment Center) in Washington, D.C. After graduation, Mele clerked for the Honorable Joseph E. Cardoza and the Honorable Kelsey T. Kawano in the Second Circuit Court of Hawai‘i, worked as a Legislative Aide to Senator Laura Clint Acasio, and held a Teaching Fellowship at the University of Arizona. She subsequently served as a Trustee Aide to Trustee Dan Ahuna at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Mele is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher in Indigenous Innovation in Communities & Climate Readiness with Abundant Intelligences, an Indigenous-led program advancing Artificial Intelligence grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems.